During its November 12 meeting, the Charles Town Utility Board (CTUB) discussed whether it should apply for a West Virginia grant that would fund the design and construction of a water and sanitary sewer system for the Summit Point Motorsports Park & Training Facility (Summit Point MP/TF). The board tied 2-2 on the vote, so it was unable to proceed with the grant application.
The WV Economic Development Office is offering a special-purpose grant that could cover the full project cost for a new water and sewer system (with no investment required from CTUB). The proposal on the table for the November 12 meeting was to initiate the application process.
During the discussion, several board members appeared to be unclear about the background of the proposed project, the specifics of the grant and the grant process itself. At least two of the board members expressed concern that just applying for the grant would somehow expose CTUB ratepayers to additional expense.
According to Kristen Stolipher, CTUB’s general manager, the approval to apply for the grant would be just the first of several steps, each with an opportunity for the board to review and approve (or decline), before CTUB had any commitments to proceed with the project.
Jeff Johnson, president of Summit Point MP/TF, said after the meeting that “it’s not clear how we can proceed if CTUB is not the sponsor” to apply for this grant. He remarked in a follow-up conversation that “we want to be a good neighbor and contribute to the growth of Jefferson County. There are many county and state officials who have indicated their support for this project and we hope that CTUB can revisit its decision.”
Justifying The Infrastructure Investment
Summit Point MP/TP is one of the largest employers in Jefferson County, with approximately 300 employees. The company estimates that there are 600 to 1,000 people visiting the site each day — a combination of its employees, training clients, and employees of the various companies that sublet space on its campus. The state sees a significant economic benefit to improving the infrastructure on this site so the company can maintain and expand these activities.
While the company sees a growing demand for its services and the facility has plenty of space to grow, the site is constrained by a lack of water and sewer capacity. According to a report completed in June 2025 by CTUB’s consulting engineer, the site has 25 separate wells and 29 separate septic systems, some dating back to the earliest days of the racetrack in the 1960s.
The CTUB report also found a risk to the existing operations if the current components are not upgraded. The engineer looked at the age, construction, and complexity of managing the existing sewer components and determined that there is a significant risk of failure and contamination, both to the on-site water wells and to the aquifer that connects throughout the county.
The CTUB report includes a conceptual plan for the new water and sewer system (image below). The cost estimate is $10 million, with a 5 years planning, permitting, and construction timeline. In addition to service for the Summit Point MP/TF facility, the new system could be extended to include fire hydrants for the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
What Happens At Summit Point
The 786 acre site south of the village of Summit Point is home to two related companies: Summit Point Motorsports Park and Summit Point Training Facility. Jeff Johnson, who is president of both companies, described three principal activities that take place on the property:
- Motorsports and driver safety courses
- Security training for government and commercial organizations
- Solutions for government contractors and agencies.
According to Johnson, the motorsports events can draw 40,000 to 50,000 spectators and participants for weekend events throughout the year. These events take place on the three road courses, the oldest of which dates to 1969.
According to the website, the training facility also offers research & development, testing, and evaluation services for technology clients. Johnson says the solutions business provides fleet management, emergency medical services, and human resource functions to other government contractors.
Johnson acknowledged that a recent recruitment advertisement for a detention center project manager was placed by the solutions business working on behalf of a client. He says his company’s name was inserted as the hiring company by mistake and said explicitly that there is no “ICE facility planned for Jefferson County.”
>>>Read The Observer’s prior coverage of Summit Point Motorsports Park…
By Steve Pearson